Maintaining a healthy diet while balancing a hectic school schedule can certainly be a challenge, and to help with this task The Creighton Wellness Council will be offering a Luncheon designed to teach students about nutritional issues. They recently hosted their fourth lunch of the year, with the theme “Benefits 101,” including topics such as Nurseline services and United healthcare online tools.

“For Benefits 101, we hope the attendees will gain an understanding of their benefits and how to take advantage of them,” Director of School and College Programs Sarah Rider said.

According to Wellness Coordinator Dawn Obermiller, these lunches typically have between twenty to sixty people who attend.

“The healthy luncheons were incorporated many years ago as part of the employee wellness program offerings.  They are designed to provide awareness and information on each of the various dimensions of health, i.e. physical, spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, and environmental,” said Obermiller.

Last year was the first year these events were held, and for this year, the theme of these lunches is Transforming Together, which was kicked off with the Weight of the Nation film screening, which concentrates on different individuals in America living and battling with obesity.

“The Creighton community needs to address our weight management issues and as a result decrease other chronic diseases,” said Rider.

Topics are usually chosen based on yearly health risk data that the Wellness Council can help educate the Creighton population and improve their knowledge on important health issues.

“Generally speaking, our top risks are overweight and obesity and a lack of physical activity so quite a few luncheons address how we can make simple lifestyle changes that impact these risks,” said Obermiller.

Rider says she tries to keep the luncheons healthy. “This winter we offered a few soup varieties on those chilly days walking across campus.  There always seems to be a huge basket of fruit – take a couple apples back to the office!  Or, you can always bring your lunch,” said Rider.

http://calendar.creighton.edu/event?id=31399